Kadi deflates slightly as the sense of being overwhelmed presses in at the edges of her vision, but she takes a deep breath and asks the next question.

"About prices. I don't know what's a good price. We didn't have money in the commune. The Elders just decided how much anyone got of anything we made, or found, or produced, or else we just bartered quietly among ourselves without them knowing."

She picks up the baby to cradle against her arm, the little one swaddled tightly and squirming fussily. It won't take long for her to settle.

"I don't know anything about living like this," Kadi says quietly. "I know it will be better, but I don't know how to get started."